I’m a Parent Before Anything Else: Crisis Mothering While Homeless and Its Implication for Partnerships (Poster 28)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 4:20 pm
  In Poster Session: Critical Issues in Family, School, Community Partnerships

Abstract

This paper examines how the overlapping crises of Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19 have affected mothering practices for parents experiencing homelessness in Houston, Texas. Our work on mothering in crisis rests on an intersectional feminist interpretation drawing from Ruddick (1989) as a “partial perspective” (Collins, 1994) and intertwining it with intersectional feminist work. Drawing from interviews with parents experiencing homelessness and supplemented by interviews with school district leaders and community housing providers, we examine the ways in which homelessness, Harvey, and COVID-19 had independent and synergistic effects on mothering, creating unforeseen challenges to addressing their children’s needs. By understanding crisis mothering during homelessness, schools and communities may be better positioned to manage future disasters and build meaningful partnerships with families.

Authors

• Alexandra E. Pavlakis, Southern Methodist University

• Kessa Roberts, Utah State University

• Maria Jose Hernandez, Southern Methodist University

• Meredith Paige Richards, Southern Methodist University

• Cheyenne Phillips, Southern Methodist University